The long-standing chip shop that's overcome adversity to keep going and become well-loved

Sofi's Plaice on Castle Street in Dudley has been a feature of the town since opening in 1989, providing a friendly welcome and some of the best orange chips in the Black Country.

It has also been a survivor, having been severely damaged after a bus crashed into the shop in October 2021, a crash which left gas pipes damaged, walls cracked and the fryer ruined and forced the shop to stay closed for seven months while repairs were done.

The shop was forced closed for another three months this year after being hit by a car and damaged again, but it has again enjoyed a roaring trade since reopening on Monday, with queues out of the door.

The owner Sofi Hickinbottom said the shop was very much part of her life and loved working in Dudley as much now as when she first opened the shop.

She said: "I came here 35 years ago because I liked the area and liked the people, having lived in Tipton and been a regular visitor, so when I opened the shop, it was near to my friends and the local people who knew me.

"We started to get customers early on because of the quality of the fish and chips and also because we offer a warm and friendly welcome to everyone who comes into the shop.

"Basically, we offer service with a smile and I love to give them good service so they want to come back."

The shop can be found along the Castle Road path out of Dudley town centre, just down the road from the Duncan Edward's statue and the market, sitting next to Sofi's other business, Sofi's Cafe.

The exterior and interior of the shop has evolved over the years, mainly through necessity after the two crashes, but Sofi said the shop itself had never changed its philosophy of how to cook or present its food.

She said: "I've never changed anything about the shop since I opened it and there are people who knew this place when they were children and, having grown up, still come here because they know what they will get.

"They know they'll get a good quality of fish and chips and while I get a lot of new customers all the time, I've had people coming here since we opened 35 years ago.

"They've got married and they've brought their children here for fish and chips and I would also get people from the fire station when it was here and from the bus station when it was here."

The food is the big selling point about Sofi's Plaice, with the orange chips made by a secret recipe by Sofi and her staff, which includes her son-in-law Kiki and her daughter Stallo.

Alongside the orange chips are crispy and flavourful pieces of cod and plaice, battered sausages, fishcakes and pies, as well as well cooked kebabs and a number of vegetarian options.

For Sofi, the shop is her business and her life and the customers are like her extended family, saying that when the shop was forced to close due to the crashes, she was inundated with messages of support, and said they were one of the main reasons why she kept doing what she was doing.

She said: "My customers haven't stopped coming and when I was closed for months, they never stopped checking on me and asking when we were going to reopen.

"That's what makes it special to me, as well as the fact that they must like my cooking and I respect my customers and always have this family feeling with them as I've known many of them since they were children."